Production Operations Guide

Introduction

What Is Production Operations?

Overview of Production Operations

Setting Up a Team Development Environment

Configuring the Portal Cluster

Building and Deploying the EAR File

Propagating a Portal Application

Performing Round-Trip Development

Getting Started

Using this Guide

Related Guides

Part I Configuration and Deployment

Managing a Team Development Environment

Introduction

Choosing a Source Control Vendor

Creating a Shared WebLogic Portal Domain

What is a WebLogic Portal Domain?

Getting Started

Creating a WebLogic Portal Domain Template

Creating the Shared Domain

Starting WebLogic Server

Configuring and Tuning the Domain

Managing Databases

Developing Against an Enterprise-Quality Database

Using Different Databases in Development and Production

Knowing When You are Making Changes to the Database

Using the PointBase Database

Removing Unneeded Database Components

Creating and Sharing the Portal Application

Create or Locate the Eclipse Workspace Directory

Create a Portal EAR Project

Create Portal Web Projects

Create a Datasync Project (Optional)

Check in the Portal Application

Check Out the WorkSpace Studio Application

Using J2EE Shared Libraries in a Team Environment

Overview

Shared Library Rules of Precedence

Deployment Descriptors and Shared Libraries

Shared Library Manifest File Contents

Sharing Portal Resources: Sample Scenario

Introduction

Packaging Resources to Share

Receiving and Incorporating Shared Resources

Importing the Shared Library into WorkSpace Studio

Importing the Shared Library into a Deployed Application

WebLogic Portal Coding Best Practices

Sharing Java Projects

Supporting Cross-Platform Development

Editing Definition Labels for Portal Components

Testing a Cluster Configuration

Managing Binary Files in Source Control

General Procedure for Working with Binary Files

Updating Users, Groups, Roles, and Entitlements

Updating Other Security-Related Files

Configuring Facets

Alternative Domain Sharing Techniques

Determining the BEA Home Directory

Importance of the BEA Home Directory

Managing Multiple BEA Home Directory Locations for Your Team

Option 1: Modifying Configuration Files with String Substitution

Option 2: Using a Common Virtual Drive for BEA Home (Windows)

Option 3: Using Relative Paths

Creating and Sharing the Portal Domain

Plan a Common Directory for Domains

Create the Domain

Check the Domain into Source Control

Start the Server

Configure and Tune the Domain

Configuring a Portal Cluster

Overview

Prerequisite Tasks

Set up a Production Database

Locate JMS Queue and JDBC Data Sources

Choose a Cluster Architecture

Single Cluster

Multi Cluster

Determine the Domain Network Layout

Install WebLogic Portal

Creating Your Clustered Domain

What is a Domain?

Creating the Customized Domain

Initial Configuration

Customizing the Domain

Configuring Database and JMS Options

Completing the Configuration

Configuring the Administration Server

Setting up JMS Servers

Creating Managed Server Directories

Introduction

Creating the Managed Server Domains

Zero-Downtime Architectures

Overview

Single Database Instance

Portal Cache

Deploying Portal Applications

Preparing to Deploy

Overview of Deployment Descriptors and Config Files

Descriptor Merging

Viewing Merged Descriptors

Portal Web Application Deployment Descriptors

Enterprise Application Deployment Descriptors

Configuration Files

Using Deployment Plans

Using Application-Scoped JDBC

Building a Portal Application

Building in WorkSpace Studio

Building from the Command Line

Deploying the EAR

Deploying to a Development Environment

Deploying to a Staging or Production Environment

Redeploying to a Staging or Production Environment

Deploying an Exploded EAR

Deploying J2EE Shared Libraries

Library Descriptors

Library Versions

Creating Content Repositories

Using Multiple Enterprise Applications in a Single Domain

Application Tuning Tips

Deploying JSR-168 Portlets in a WAR File

Starting the Import Utility

Using the Import Utility

Accessing the Portlets

Using Production Redeployment with WebLogic Portal

What is Production Redeployment?

Conceptual Overview and Limitations

Overview of Basic Steps

Part II Propagation

Developing a Propagation Strategy

What is Propagation?

What Tools Does BEA Provide to Assist with Propagation?

WebLogic Server Administration Console (EAR Deployment)

WorkSpace Studio Propagation Tools

Propagation Ant Tasks

Manual Propagation Steps

Export/Import Utility

Database Vendor Tools (Not Supported)

What Kind of Data Can Be Propagated?

Choosing the Right Propagation Tool

Propagation Roadmap

Development Environments

Source Control

Moving from Development to Staging

Staging Environment

Source Control in the Staging Environment

Perform Offline Tasks

Committing the Final Inventory

Assessing Your Portal System Configuration

General Propagation Scenarios

Example Environment

Scenario 1: Deploying the EAR file for the first time

Scenario 2: Redeploying an EAR file

If the Target Server is in Development Mode

If the Target Server is in Production Mode

Moving the Datasync Data

Scenario 3: Propagating from Staging to Production: Default Scope

Scenario 4: Propagating from Staging to Production: Desktop Scope

Scenario 5: Propagating from Production to Staging: Both Have Changed

Scenario 6: Round-Trip Development

Production Mode Versus Development Mode

Propagation and Proliferation

Propagation Topics

Flow of a Typical Propagation Session

Before You Begin

Start the Administration Server

Perform a Data Backup

Plan to Inactivate the System During the Import Process

Install the Propagation Tools

Configure Log Files (Optional)

Deploy the J2EE Application (EAR)

Make Required Manual Changes

What Kinds of Data Require Manual Changes?

Where are Manual Changes Reported?

Propagation Reference Table

Security Information and Propagation

Understanding Scope

Overview

Why Use Scoping?

What are the Risks of Scoping?

Best Practices for Scoping

How to Set Scope

Using WorkSpace Studio to Set Scope

Setting Scope with Ant Tasks

The Effects of Scoping

Scoping to the Enterprise Application Level

Scoping to the Desktop Level

Scoping to a Repository

Scoping to a Content Folder

Scope and Library Inheritance

Portal Asset Instances and Inheritance

Creating a New Desktop and Disassembling to the Library

Decoupling of Property Settings

Using Policies

Introduction

Global Policy Examples

Local Policy Overrides

Using Local Policies with Desktops

Reporting Changes Based on Policies

Previewing Changes and Tuning a Merged Inventory

User Customizations and Propagation

Reviewing Log Files

Rolling Back an Import Process

Federated Portal (WSRP) Propagation

Introduction

WSRP Propagation Procedure

If Only Producer(s) are Upgraded to WebLogic Portal 10.2 or Later Versions

If Only Consumer(s) are Upgraded to WebLogic Portal 10.2 or Later Versions

Listing Producer Handles

Updating Producer Registration Handles

Increasing the Default Upload File Size

Copying the Inventory to the Server

Modifying a Deployment Plan

Modifying the web.xml File

Configuring the Propagation Servlet

Configuring the Inventory Temporary Directory

Adding Description Text

Enabling Verbose Logging

Specifying the Verbose Log File Location

Configuring Temporary Space

Temporary Space for Online Operations

Temporary Space for Offline Operations

Propagating Datasync Data in Development Mode

Using WorkSpace Studio Propagation Tools

Overview

Security and Propagation

Overview of the Propagation Perspective

Downloading an Inventory File

Creating a Propagation Project

Create a Simple Project

Begin a Propagation Session

Import the Inventory Files

Create a Merged Inventory File

Select the Source Inventory File

Select the Destination Inventory File

Viewing and Tuning the Merged Inventory

Creating a Final Merged Inventory File

Uploading the Final Inventory to the Server

Deploy the EAR File

Propagate the Final Inventory to the Destination Server

Enabling Verbose Logging

Using the Propagation Ant Tasks

Introduction

Before You Begin

Installing the Ant Tasks

Deploying the Propagation Servlet

Testing the Ant Installation

Using the Ant Tasks Outside of a WebLogic Portal Environment

Required JARS for Online Tasks

Required JARS for Offline Tasks

Overview of Online Tasks

Online Task Summary

Using Online Tasks with HTTPS

Troubleshooting Online Tasks

Overview of Offline Tasks

Offline Task Summary

Troubleshooting Offline Tasks

Scoping an Inventory

Scoping with Ant Tasks

Sample Scoping Workflow

Understanding a Scope Property File

Using Policies

Understanding a Policies Property File

Combining and Committing Inventories

Propagation Ant Task Reference

Online Tasks

OnlineCheckMutexTask

Attributes

Ant Condition Property

On Failure

Usage

OnlineCommitTask

Attributes

Modifiers

Ant Conditional Support

On Failure

Usage

OnlineDownloadTask

Attributes

Modifiers

Ant Conditional Support

On Failure

Usage

OnlineMaintenanceModeTask

Attributes

Ant Condition Property

On Failure

Usage

OnlinePingTask

Attributes

Ant Conditional Support

On Failure

Usage

OnlineUploadTask

Attributes

Ant Condition Property

On Failure

Usage

Offline Tasks

OfflineCheckManualElectionsTask

Attributes

Ant Condition Property

On Failure

Usage

OfflineCombineTask

Attributes

Ant Condition Property

On Failure

Usage

OfflineDiffTask

Attributes

Ant Conditional Support

On Failure

Usage

OfflineElectionAlgebraTask

Attributes

Ant Condition Property

On Failure

Usage

OfflineExtractTask

Attributes

Ant Conditional Support

On Failure

Usage

OfflineInsertTask

Attributes

Ant Conditional Support

On Failure

Usage

OfflineListPoliciesTask

Attributes

Ant Conditional Support

On Failure

Usage

OfflineListScopesTask

Attributes

Ant Conditional Support

On Failure

Usage

OfflineSearchTask

Attributes

Ant Conditional Support

On Failure

Usage

OfflineValidateTask

Attributes

Ant Condition Property

On Failure

Usage

Propagation Tips and Best Practices

Best Practices

Consult the Sample Ant Script

Maintain a Store of Historical Inventories

Do Not Change Definition Labels and Instance Labels

Do Not Manually Replicate Changes Between Environments

Scope to the Enterprise Application Level

Use Default Scoping and Policy Options

Use WorkSpace Studio to Develop a Propagation Process

Use Ant Tasks for Import and Export

Avoid Propagating Across a Proxy Server or Load Balancer

Ensure That the Cluster Administration Server is Running

Interpreting Error Messages

Restarting Export and OnlineCommit Operations

Improving the Speed of the Online Operations

Using a Microsoft Windows File System

Choosing the Inventory File Transport Protocol

Note and Configure the Manual Changes

Ensure Appropriate Delegated Administration Rights

Avoid LDAP and Database Synchronization Problems

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Using the Export/Import Utility

Installing the Export/Import Utility

Overview of the Export/Import Utility

What the Utility Moves

What the Utility Does Not Move

Refining Rules for Exporting and Importing

Basic Concepts and Terminology

.portal Files Versus Desktops

Export and Import Scope

Library Scope

Admin Scope

Visitor Scope

Customization

The Export/Import Utility Client Program

Configuring the Export/Import Utility Properties File

Specifying Parameters in the Properties File

Specifying the Properties File Location

Exporting a Desktop

Editing the Properties File

Running the Build Script

Importing a .portal File

Editing the Properties File

Running the Build Script

Exporting a Page

Editing the Properties File

Running the Build Script

Importing a Page

Editing the Properties File

Running the Build Script

Controlling How Portal Assets are Merged When Imported

Controlling How Portal Assets are Moved When Imported

Inner Moves

Outer Moves

Locating and Specifying Identifier Properties

The webapp Property

The portal.path and desktop.path Properties

The page.label and book.label Properties

Locating the Definition Label for a Page

Locating the Definition Label for a Book

Managing the Cache

Using the Datasync Web Application

Portal Datasync Definitions

Datasync Definition Usage During Development

Compressed Versus Uncompressed EAR

Datasync Web Application

Removing Content

Working with a Compressed EAR File

Uploading new contents

Bootstrapping from an EAR

Creating a JAR file

Validating Contents

Pulling Definitions from Production

Options for Connecting to the Server

Examples

Usage

Commands

Rules for Deploying Datasync Definitions

Removing Property Sets

Export/Import Utility Files